Dinner for one

I love company. I love going out and being in the company of friends. Whether it be dinner, a drink, or even a walk, I enjoy the companionship of others. Mind you, I'm not the most talkative of people, or even the funniest, but I rarely venture out alone.

One of the things that struck me the most about living here is that many New Yorkers do things on their own - people sitting in a coffee shop by themselves reading a book or tapping away merrily on their laptops; having a solitary drink at the bar; or even going to the cinema alone. I'm sure its like that in any large city, but I guess I've never noticed it until I came here.

As lame as it may sound I have to admit I've never really done anything substantial by myself. Sure I've gone shopping and run errands by myself, but actually sitting in one spot, with no one but myself scares the shit out of me.

Given the choice I would rather bum out at home than go out and do something by myself. The thought of it throws my brain into a state of panic. What will people think of me? Do I look like a loser sitting here by myself? They must think I have no friends. etc etc.

Yes it's childish and silly to think like that, especially at my age, so I've decided it's time for me to conquer this fear once and for all. In baby steps of course :)

1. The coffee shop - OK I've done this one already. Having a book and a watch handy helps, since it looks like you're waiting for someone who's running late. :P

2. Having a drink at a bar - I've done this too. Again had my trusty book handy. Plus it wasn't that bad as I was waiting for the laundry.

3. Watching a movie - this can't be that bad. I mean its dark and all so no one can see who you're with anyway.

And my greatest fear of all...

4. Having dinner alone.

Now I've had lunch many times by myself, but I think dinner would be much harder. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it's psychological. To me, dinner out is a social occassion, a time to have in the company of others. So if I can manage to pull this one off, I think I'll be cured...heh.

I'm giving myself two rules:

• No books or any other paraphernalia to feign preoccupation (I can fidget all I want, but that's it); and
  
• I'm going to enjoy myself
  

First off, the cinema.

Stay tuned.

Date Night

Friday night. We had talked earlier in the week about going out for a nice meal - dressing up, having a few drinks, a good meal and maybe even some music and dancing. Basically a night out as we hadn't gone out on a "date" in a while. I embraced this with gusto - I dolled myself up Sex and the City style (it's been a while...heh), found a great restaurant and was looking forward to a nice evening.

We went to Casa Mono, a lively Spanish tapas bar on Irving Place run partly by Mario Batali. It was packed, so we put our names down for a spot at the counter (my favourite spot in any restaurant) so we could watch all the action in the kitchen. We headed to a nearby pub (my flashy outfit blended in beautifully with the decor thank you very much), and had a few drinks while we waited for the phone call.

10p.m and the restaurant called to say they were ready to seat us. We downed our beers (no cocktails in the pub, honey), and raced back with anticipation. "Your table's ready for you now". Huh? No, we put our names down for a spot at the counter. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you would prefer a table so you wouldn't have to wait any longer". Okaay then. We were really hungry by then so a table it is.

The food was amazing. We shared small plates of sardines, octopus, melt-in-the-mouth skirt steak and mussels with chorizo, all washed down with a delicious Spanish wine. The servings were a decent size, not small as I thought it would be with tapas, so we were stuffed by the time we were finished.

Overall a great meal, though next time I will definitely try to get a spot at the counter. The tables, while having a cute little "drawer" underneath to store unused glasses and cutlery, was a little too small for more than three small plates at a time. We finished up with an espresso and headed out into the hot and sticky night.

Update: I made some minor changes to the original post as I'm no longer fuming ;)

Lazy Bones

Ok, I've been lazy, I can admit that. Being in hot, humid weather does that to me sometimes, though that's a pretty lame excuse I know.

J got back from NZ a few weeks ago now, and the most exciting thing we've done since is head down the New Jersey shore for some surf and sand over the weekend. The weather really has been quite nice, not as humid as last year I guess. I'm peeling like a banana now, that's what you get for not using sunscreen (eek!).

We had brunch at Ruby's in the Lower East Side on Sunday. J had the Bronte (beef burger) and I had the Bondi (chicken burger). I think I liked the Bronte more - the mayo and sweet chilli sauce combo is delicious. Can't wait to go again!

My brand new (purchased in April) camera is broken!! I don't believe it! So no photos for a while as I've sent it in for repairs. I have a feeling someone may have dropped it a few times while holidaying in NZ...hmmmmm???